121 
Prince of Wales’ Islands. 1 TERRA AUSTRALIS, 
island though of various kinds, were small and fit for little else than isos. 
* o November. 
the fire. A species of silk-cotton plant was plentiful ; the fibres in Tuesday 2. 
the pod are strong, and have a fine gloss, and might perhaps be 
advantageously employed in manufacture. 
From two supplements of the sun’s meridian altitude to the 
north, the latitude of our anchorage would be 10° 34/ 12"; but the 
supplements observed on the 31st having given 1' if too far south, 
the correct latitude is taken to be io° 32' 58". The longitude from 
nine sets of distances of the sun west of the moon, was 142 0 23'; but 
by the corrected time keeper, which I prefer, it was 142 io~ east. 
To compare this longitude with that of captain Cook, it must be 
reduced to some point distinctly laid down by him, and I take Booby 
Island, which was in sight. According to that navigator. Booby 
Isle is in 140° 38' east ( Ha wkes worth, III, 214); whereas I made it 
to lie in 141 0 37', or T 19' further east, a difference which certainly 
appears very extraordinary; but it is still more so, that the island 
should be laid down 63' of longitude to the west of the high, flat- 
topped York Isle, instead of 43' or 44'. To show that the longitude 
by my time keeper was not much, if any thing too great, I have to 
observe, that in captain Bligh s manuscript chart of 1792* Mount 
Augustus is laid down from his time keepers in 142 0 14 ; and the 
mean of his lunar observations, taken eight days before and six days 
afterward, was 16' more east. My time keeper now placed Mount 
Augustus in 142 0 18', or only 4' more east than captain Bligh’s chart, 
consequently in 12' less titan by his lunar observations; by which 
quantity it was also less than the nine sets of distances now taken by 
lieutenant Flinders. 
No run of tide was perceptible at the anchorage, from eight 
in the morning to two p.m.; but it then set westward, and continued so 
to do until four next morning, and was then running one knot and 
a half. The time of high water appeared by the soundings, to be 
nearly as they gave it at Wednesday Island. 
In the morning of the 3rd, thb wind was moderate at E. S. E., Wednes. s. 
VOL. n. di 
